Let It Burn
by SalSassy
Summary: What really happened after breakfast? Prendoza pairing
1. Chapter 1

"Why didn't you just let it burn?" Emily said with a sleepy sigh. Andrew swept her bangs to the side and kissed her forehead, "Why would I let quiche burn? It smelled amazing and it tasted even better than it smelled." Emily tried to hide her furiously blushing face. "You ate your breakfast off of me" she pointed out while putting her foot in his lap. He kissed it before tugging her leg gently, "Hence what made it taste so much better." Emily pushed herself up on her arms, "Drew, I…I'm not—" He put a finger to her mouth to silence her, "I know you aren't the kind of woman to put out on the first date. You and I have known each other for a little while, so that helps. Besides we aren't teenagers anymore. I don't think anything less of you." Emily was grateful for that but the look on his face left her curious, "But?" she asked carefully. He thought for a moment and looked away from her. He looked out the window they were sitting in front of and murmured, "But you are far more flexible than I thought." Emily broke out into a boisterous, girly laugh and jumped on him. He helped her sit up in his lap and cover her with his shirt, she raised an eyebrow at his antics, "Marking your territory?" He shook his head, "I believe I did that on your hip. I would like to be the only one who gets to see these goods." Emily couldn't help but feel like she was in high-school whenever she got around Mendoza. He brought out her shy side but at the same time, he brought out her sensual side. He played with her hair while she stared at his abdomen; he forced her to look up by tugging on her chin, "Don't harbor on it. I'm okay because of you and everything is where it should be."

Emily felt her eyes water and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her, "Tell me. Just tell me sweetheart." Emily traced her fingers over the long scar, his muscles unintentionally clenching under her touch, "I almost lost you before I ever had you because of a man with an axe to grind." Andrew pushed his index finger past the open gap of his shirt on her body; his finger ghosted across her abdomen, "I could say the same." Emily got out of his lap and pulled his shirt tighter around her body. She walked into the kitchen and started to clean up the few dishes. He came up behind her and pulled her into his embrace, her words made him hold her tighter, "Andrew, how is a guy as wonderful as you single?" "Well, I've been waiting for you." Emily nudged him, "I'm serious. Drew, I want a serious answer." She turned around and leaned over on the kitchen counter. Mendoza grabbed her hand and walked them into her bedroom. She shrugged out of his shirt and threw it at him; he stared at her perfect body momentarily before putting his shirt back on and watching her put the robe on. He patted the bed until she sat down. He motioned, with his hand, to the picture on the nightstand. "How far would you go for them?" Emily didn't hesitate, "I'd die for them." He knowingly nodded and pulled a picture out of his wallet. "I'd die for them. But, my ex…she didn't feel the same. It was her right, but it doesn't mean that it didn't hurt." Emily didn't say anything but opened her arms to hold him close to her. He laid the back of his head against her chest while she interlocked their fingers, "Tell me what happened Drew." He blew out a long breath.

"When I first met Lydia, I had just got accepted into the FBI. I was busting my ass at the academy and she was a breathtaking fashion student. It seemed like we were electric and even I should've realized that we were moving way too fast. I think that I loved her way more than she loved me, but then again there were times that I didn't love her at all. I started to hate the person that she was becoming; I think that we were both awful to each other towards the end. I wanted more and she didn't, we just wanted different things. I wanted my career and a family; she wanted her career. She has and always will be an amazing fashion designer. I wanted her to be something that she wasn't, and she wanted me to give up the FBI to follow her around the world. I loved Lydia at the time but not more than the career I was aiming for. It was a horrible divorce and we fought over everything. We fought over the money, dogs, and the house." Emily started to rub his shoulders, "How long were you married." "2 years in peace…4 in hell. The divorce dragged out for another 3 years after that. I haven't been married since." "Gotten close to it?" He didn't answer that question so, she asked another, "You two had kids together? From the picture." Andrew stretched and leaned further into Emily. He touched the picture thoughtfully, "These aren't my kids. This is my younger brother Dennis. He has Down Syndrome. The other is my younger and only sister. She's struggled with addiction for a while now. Lydia wanted no parts of my family and told me to walk away. I couldn't nor will I ever be able to. I had great parents; my dad served in the Army and retired. He and my mom opened a restaurant and they loved it. Long story short, my parents kept bailing my sister out and sending her to rehab. They sold the restaurant and cashed in my dad's pension when my brother's health took a bad turn. I helped out as much as I could but…"

"You did what you could." Mendoza cleared his throat to stop from getting emotional, "My dad died in his sleep—heart failure—and my mom died 9 years later from an aneurysm." Emily let a tear slide down her face, "I'm so sorry Andrew." Her calmness brought him peace and he decided to deflect, "What about you? How did you get those little beauties?" Emily grabbed the picture and they both stared at it with a smile. "His name was Mark and we broke each other's hearts. Mirabelle is his mom's name and Amina was the one name we could agree on. My girls are the reason I do this job. They have also been the reason why I don't date. That is until now." "When am I going to get the honor of meeting these beautiful replicas of you?" Emily smiled, "They attend a charter school in Boston. They live with my dad full-time because of the amount of travel I do for this job, but we've been in talks about him moving here semi-permanently." "Did I ruin a mother-daughter reunion by having your undivided attention?" Emily interlocked their fingers, "No. They love camping with my dad and my camping days are over. They will be back next weekend."

Andrew's phone started ringing and he reluctantly got up to grab it. He turned around to look at her with regretful eyes; Emily crawled across her bed until she was in front of him. She pulled him down by the shoulders and kissed him passionately on the lips. "It's okay. Someone needs you right now." Andrew pulled her up by the waist and wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her bottom lip before pushing his tongue into her mouth. Emily got lost in the kiss, moaning loudly, and before she knew it they were in the middle of her bed going at it. Emily pulled away, "What about your phone?" Andrew kissed over her heart and trailed them down her body slowly, "I don't want to leave right now. I just want to be with you." Emily forced herself to pull away from his kisses and study his face. He couldn't hide the worry and anguish. Emily caresses his face, "Drew, what's wrong? Talk to me. What happened?"

"My sister, Nicky, she relapsed again." Emily felt her heart break a little. She got up from the bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Andrew just looked at her, "What are you doing Emily?" Emily stood in front of him and pulled him up by the hands, "We are going to go see her. You're too distracted right now, so I'll drive you." Andrew let her pull him along until they were in the parking garage of her building. Emily held his hand the entire time to give him some level of comfort. When they got to the ER, Andrew hesitated but eventually got out the car. He waited for the nurse to tell him what room she was in before he took slow steps towards the room. Emily waited in the hallway to give Andrew some privacy. Andrew sat on the chair next to his sister's bed and grabbed her hand, "Hey Nicky." She looked at her big brother and turned away ashamed. When she looked over at him, his eyes were filling with tears. "Nicky, I don't know how much of me I have left. I know that when things get hard for you, you need an outlet. But honestly, it breaks my heart every time I have to see you like this. The only reason why I haven't broken down today is because of Emily" he finished quietly and in a whisper. Nicky sat up in bed, "Who's Emily?" He struggled with his next words and she almost laughed at him, "She's someone important to me." "Is she your girlfriend?" Andrew quickly changed the subject and pulled the blanket further up her body, "What happened this time Nicky?" She hesitated, "I don't know Andrew. It just happened."

"No! A needle didn't just happen to go into your vein. Drugs didn't just find their way into your bloodstream. You know the reason why you did it, so tell me!" Andrew had no idea that he was screaming until Emily popped her head in the room. When he turned to look at her, all his anger dissipated, "Drew, we can hear you at the nurses' station." To regret saying something hurtful to his sister, he stood up from the chair, "I need some air." Emily stood awkwardly in the doorway; looking at Nicky, she sympathized and quietly walked over to the hospital bed. They both remained silent for a few moments before Emily started to speak. "Between you and me, I've been were you are." Nicky looked at Emily as if she didn't believe a word of that, yet she remained silent. "My freshman year of college, my parents divorced. I know that it shouldn't have affected me at 18 as if I were 5, but it did. My dad just wanted my mom to slow down and be a wife; she refused and after a 9-year battle with himself, my dad filed for divorce. He was so depressed and broken that it felt like all his anguish shifted to me. See, I am my parents only child together, but my dad took in foster kids. With him, I have 2 sisters and a brother. They didn't understand it, so I didn't feel like I had anyone to talk to."

"I started hanging with a lot of the wrong people. I fell madly in love and really deep into a drug habit. It wasn't my first love that got me hooked, it was someone that I thought was my friend. My habit was pills, which is why I won't take so much as an aspirin these days." Nicky gave Emily her full-attention, "How long were you an addict?" Emily sat back in the chair and pulled her legs close to her chest. She chuckled to herself, "What did I tell my family? 2 years. In true, I was an addict for 7 years. I tried to get clean on my own 4 times and I failed. My wake-up call was seeing the hurt in my father's eyes the first time he saw me strung-out. I'm not going to lie to you, recovery is hard. It is so damn hard but when you get a few years of sobriety under your belt, you will see that the withdrawal and DTs are worth it. I look at myself now and I'm happy that I stuck with it." "How long have you been clean?" Emily ran a hand through her hair, "20 years." Nicky moved closer to Emily and looked her in the eye, "What's your secret to sobriety?" "Transparency. It's the hardest part and the most necessary. Even if it hurts, you have to get to the root of why you started using. For me, it was seeing my father heartbroken and being his rock without an outlet for myself."

Nicky grabbed Emily's hand tightly and whispered with tears rolling down her face, "The first time I tried it was when our brother needed brain surgery. I kept thinking that he'd die. The next time was when I found out that my parents were risking it all financially to get me clean. Then, it was Andrew's first shooting. I remember thinking that he might lose everything he worked so hard to get. I can't stay clean because I'm not strong. I'll never be as strong as Andrew." Emily comforted her, "Do you know how much strength it took for you to tell me that? You are stronger than you think. Strength doesn't mean physically or emotionally. Strength means perseverance and willpower. If you want to get clean for good, then you have to force your will to stay sober ahead of your cravings." Nicky surprised Emily with a tight hug, "Thank you." She pulled away and sat back on the bed, "Which rehab place did you go to?" "I went to rehab in Boston, but I'm sure that I can help you find one nearby." Nicky shook her head, "No. I want to go to the best facility. Is it expensive?" Emily shook her head, "It is but it's worth it. My sister owns the facility that I went to years ago. I'm sure that I could get you a spot there. Don't worry, she won't tell me a thing, but she is one of the best in her field." "Can you help me break it to Andrew?"

Unbeknownst to them, Andrew had been right outside the door for a big part of the conversation. He spoke up, "No need to. If you really want to go, then I'll support you Nicky."

When Emily and Andrew left Nicky, they walked in a comfortable silence. Andrew drove Emily back to her home. When he walked her up to the door, she grabbed his hand, "Are you okay Drew? I hope that I didn't overstep." "Of course, you didn't. I couldn't get through to her, but you did." Andrew softly caressed her face and kissed her passionately. "Thank you so much Emily." Emily just smiled and pulled him into a hug. "I've been there before. Do you want to stay the night?" Emily automatically knew the answer because he'd been fighting tears since the hospital. Andrew momentarily loss the ability to speak, so Emily walked backwards into her house, pulling him with her. Emily locked up for the night and urged Andrew into her bedroom. She went into her bathroom to draw him a bath to relax him. "Drew, tub's ready for you." Andrew got undressed and sighed as the hot water started to relax him. He grabbed Emily's hand before she could make a retreat. "Aren't you joining me?" he asked with a flirty flash of his eyebrows. She laughed and proceeded to undress and get in the bathtub with him. She reclined against his chest while he placed soft kisses on her shoulder. "You want to tell me about it?" he asked softly.

Emily laid back and rubbed his hand with hers, "I met Uriel the summer before I went to college. I was in New York with my mother. I went to a rooftop party that was basically my send-off party and he was there. He was from the Bronx and definitely not someone that my mother would approve of. Although he was involved in a lot of illegal behavior, he was a good guy. So good in fact that he broke it off with me my junior year." "Why? He wanted a bad girl?" Emily laughed, "I was a bad girl. No, he broke it off with me because he didn't want to hold me back. He wanted me to go for my dreams. I didn't understand it because it was my first love and all I truly wanted was him. He told me that he was walking away to protect me." Andrew played with her hair, "Did he ever get out of his illegal behavior?" "Not to my knowledge. He was so far in that he'd never leave. Him and his brothers originally did it to protect their mom after their dad was killed. They've been at it so long that—" "They're the top dogs." Emily agreed with a head nod. Andrew kissed the crown of her head, "For what it's worth, I'm happy he let you go. I have you now."

They slowly washed each other's bodies before getting out the tub. Emily got dressed in warm clothes and waited for Andrew on her bed. "Drew, can I ask you a question?" "Of course." "What's so special about me?" Emily was suddenly self-conscious and tried to pull away from Andrew. He cupped her face in his hands, "You really don't see it?" Emily shook her head no. He took her hand and placed it over her heart. "You have the biggest heart that I've ever seen. You are immensely stunning. Your features are so unique and perfect to you. You have a body that most women would kill for. You have no idea how amazing you are." Emily tried to hide her blush but didn't succeed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the lips, "You are so sweet Drew." He smiled against her lips and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him and giggled. He kissed Emily's cheek, then her nose, and finally her mouth. "Emily, I'm crazy about you. I never expected it to be this fast but I'm not sorry about it." Emily shifted in his arms, "You want me to put your down?" Emily shook her head no and laid down on his chest, "Your heartbeat it so soothing to me."


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom!" Andrew woke up to the sound of three high-pitched voices. He looked over to see the bed empty. He got out of bed, put a shirt on, and walked into the living room. Emily was balancing a toddler on her hip while her two daughters turned around to smile at him."

Andrew jolted up when he finally heard his alarm going off. He looked around to see that he was in his own apartment and not Emily's. He got up to shower before starting his day. When he got out of the shower, he put on clothes and walked into his living room. Unlike his dream, Andrew's living room didn't have three children in it, but his slumbering sister. He went into the kitchen to make them both breakfast. By the time he was done, she was awake and trudging into the kitchen. She avoided eye contact and murmured, "Morning Andy." "Good morning Nicky. Did you sleep alright?" She shook her head yes. "I made your favorite, breakfast tacos." That got a smile out of her as she sat down and dug in. They ate in comfortable silence but she felt her big brother's eyes on her. "Andy, do you love Emily?" Andrew's mouth hung open, "Where did that come from?" "She came to the hospital with you. You trusted her to talk to me in private. You guys left together. Wait, you didn't break up with her because she talked to me, did you?" He shook his head, "No, we didn't break up. I left her place because you texted me that you were getting discharged. She was sleeping when I left. Do I love her? I'm definitely smitten and falling hard for her." "She's good for you…good for us. She said she'd help me, you know get into rehab." "I know. Do you think that you'll stick with it this time?" Nicky shrugged her shoulders as she finished her breakfast, "I hope so. I want to stay sober."

Across town, Emily was busy in her kitchen making omlettes for brunch. She was pleasantly surprised when her daughters came back from their trip early. After 3 days, they had their fun camping and missed their mother. The came home at about 5am, so she let them sleep until late in the morning. She had just plated their breakfast when she heard them trudging into the kitchen. They both hugged her tight and went to the breakfast bar. While they ate, Emily asked "What kind of smoothie do we want today?" Mirabelle replied, "Grapefruit, papaya, and orange." Anais countered, "Guava, mango, blueberries, and raspberries." Emily chuckled to herself, noting how they always pick the opposite of each other. She made their two separate smoothies and decided that it was time to tell them about Andrew. "I need to tell you two something." Mirabelle is a mirror image of Emily's sassy side. "Something or someone. Mommy when we left you were kind of sad and now, you keep smiling." Anais was the sweeter one of the two; she kicked her sister's leg, "Don't be mean. What is it mama?"

Emily finished her cup of tea, "How do you feel about me dating someone?" Mirabelle sat up on her knees, "So, mommy likes a boy?" Anais was next, "a big boy." Emily rolled her eyes and laughed, "I'm serious girls. Are you okay with it?" They both looked at each other and jumped down from the breakfast bar and said in unison, "Mommy likes a boy. Mommy likes a big boy. Mommy's got a boyfriend. Mommy's going to get pretty for a boy. Mommy likes a boy." Emily couldn't help but laugh at her serious conversation turning into teasing by her daughters.


	3. Chapter 3

Emily fell victim to teasing by the girls well into the late afternoon. She had just started Monsters University, in the living room, when her phone chimed. She picked it up to read the text message and heard snickering. Before long, she felt two sets of eyes on her and couldn't help but smile, "How may I help the two of you?" Amina jumped up, "Is that the big boy you like? Your boyfriend?" Emily chuckled and shook her head yes. She read the text from Andrew '_Did you sleep well? I only snuck out because Nicky needed me.' _ She responded {_I didn't even hear you leave. Is she okay? The girls came back early. They've been teasing me all day.} _ He responded, _'Yeah she's fine. She got released from the hospital and needed me to pick her up. They came back early huh? You've been getting teased for having a boyfriend. That's sweet.'_ Emily laughed at the message before responding, {_Well, you should come over tomorrow. You know, to meet the girls. Bring your brother and sister. We might as well get all the meet-and-greets out the way.} _He sent her a winking emoji '_Are you saying that you miss me already? I need to talk to Nicky about the next steps in the process. I would love to meet the girls.' _

Emily smiled at him teasing her. {_Just be here tomorrow at 2. We'll all having lunch together.} _ He responded, _'We'll be there beautiful. Can't wait to meet your replicas.' _ Emily looked up from her phone to see the movie ignored and two pairs of eyes on her. Anais got up and went into the kitchen. "Mommy, I have a question." "Yes Ana." "When are we going to meet your boyfriend?" "Tomorrow." Mirabelle turned her head immediately and gave her mother a wicked smile, "Really?" Emily nodded her head and went into the kitchen. "We're going to make lunch for everyone tomorrow." Anais was still in the kitchen looking for a snack, "Who's everyone?" "Andrew is bringing his brother and sister along. Is that alright with you too?" Mirabelle shrugged her shoulders, "What are we eating?" Emily muttered, "6-way tacos." Both girls screamed in unison and ran to hug her tightly, "Mommy, you're the best! 6-way tacos are my favorite." Emily learned back when the twins were 2 that 6-way tacos were the only meal that they ever agreed on. "Well then, it's settled. We're having guests for lunch tomorrow. We need to make a grocery store and farmer's market run, so go get ready." Emily watched them run to their rooms before tidying up the living room. She turned the movie off, cleaned up their light snacks, and went into her bedroom to throw on a t-shirt and jeans. She waited for them and locked up her home before they went down to the garage. The security guard, Mr. Viggo, greeted them, "The Prentiss girls. what are we doing today? Dinner run?" Emily shook her head no and unlocked her Mercedes, that was thankfully parked close to the security guard, "Late grocery run. Oh, I'll be having guests tomorrow so, I'll need 1 visitor's parking spot." "Sure thing Emily. Here you go." She thanked him and left the parking garage. They got to the tail-end of the farmer's market and Emily saw her favorite tent. A local family that grew the best peppers that Emily has ever had, always got her business when she came to the farmer's market.

She waved as they made their way over, "Hello Emily", Silvia said. Silvia looked down at the girls and said, "Mira we have some habaneros for you and Ana we have some fresh serranos for you. Emily, we have a nice amount of ghost peppers to pick from." The three Prentiss girls nearly exploded with excitement. They made their choices before moving on to another favorite tent, the hummus tent. After getting 4 different peppers, 6 types of hummus, 3 jars of preserved jams, juicy tomatoes, and a prime cut of steak at an unbeatable price, Emily quickly went to a small grocery store nearby to get the rest of the needed ingredients. They were on their way to the checkout line when Emily felt a tap on her shoulder…it was none other than Clyde Easter. She turned around, "What do you want Clyde?" "Just saying hello. Hello girls" he said speaking to them. They cut their eyes at him and looked at Emily. "Girls, take the buggy and go to line 3." They followed her instructions and she turned around to him, "They remember you Clyde and they still don't like you." "Emily, I was so out of line. All I can say is that I am so sorry and it'll never happen again." "I know it won't because I will kill you. You were drunk off your ass and high as a kite. You put your hands on me in front on my children. I have no clue what's wrong with you nor do I care." She tried to walk away but he grabbed her arm, "Is that why you left London?" Emily scoffed, "Hell no. I didn't leave an entire country to get away from you. I left because I was unhappy and I wanted my daughters close to family and a STABLE support system." Clyde was about to speak, when they both heard the girls, "Mommy, we're next." Emily looked down and hissed out, "Get your hands off of me Clyde." "Have you—have you found someone?" She walked away saying, "Goodbye Clyde."

The next afternoon, Emily was starting to prepare all the ingredients needed for their lunch. The doorbell rang and she went to answer it. She opened the door with a smile as Andrew handed her some wine coolers. He leaned in to kiss her on the lips, "I figured you wouldn't want to drink the hard stuff with the kids around." "You're right. Thank you. They will compliment lunch well." He got lost in her eyes until Nicky cleared her throat. They both blushed as she said, "You guys are cute." Andrew spoke again, "Emily, you remember Nicky. This is my little brother Dennis. Dennis _and _Nicky, this is my girlfriend Emily." Emily ushered everyone inside and closed the door behind them. "Belle, Ana come in here please." The Mendozas were speechless as they looked at the two gorgeous mini-versions of Emily. "Girls, this is Andrew." Mirabelle interrupted, "Your boyfriend" as she started laughing with her sister. Emily chuckled, "And this is his sister Nicky and brother Dennis." They spoke politely but examined the Mendoza family carefully. Anais stared at Dennis for a while, before running off to grab something. Mirabelle looked at the glances between her mother and Nicky. "Mr. Andrew, do you play poker?" Emily chastised her, "Belle, that pot better not got over $10." She smiled at her mother, "You got it dude"

Andrew laughed as he let Mirabelle lead him to a nearby table and set up a game of poker. Anais came back with a Mancala game. "Dennis, have you ever played this game before?" Dennis looked over it carefully, "No, it it is too hard. I'm not smart enough." She gave him a wide smile, "Yes you are. Besides it's easy for me to teach you. Do you want to try, just to prove that you can do it?" Dennis shook his head yes and went into the living room with her. "Wow, they're great" Nicky said out loud. Emily smiled softly, "Yeah they're pretty great. You want to help me with a few things in the kitchen?" The two walked into the kitchen but Nicky stopped and said, "Look, I'm no Andy in the kitchen." Emily laughed, "You'll be fine…just grate those cheese please." They worked in comfortable silence—in spite of the loud cheering of Dennis/Anais and the loud laughing/groaning of Andrew/Mirabelle—until Nicky asked, "So, did you talk to your sister?" "I did. She said that there's a space for you whenever you're ready. She's willing to do it pro bono for me." "Uh oh, what do you have to do?" Emily let out a groan, "Give her two of my favorite pair of shoes, a designer dress, and I have to host our family reunion this year instead of her." Nicky made a sour face, "I'm sorry. Sounds like a lot." Emily shrugged, "She had more demands when I decided to keep my pregnancy a secret until my dad's birthday. Can you grab the crab out of the refrigerator please?" Nicky handed the crab to Emily, "I gotta ask. What are we eating for lunch?" "6-way tacos." Emily looked up to see Nicky waiting for further explanation.

"One taco has a shell made out of chicken, one made of cheese, and one made of steak. The filling for one is crab, the garage (basically everything) and finally the sort of healthy one with turkey, avocado, etc." If you're still hungry, then there are a few different sides to go along like kabobs and grilled fruit." Nicky smiled, "Well it already smells amazing." Andrew came into the kitchen and hugged Emily from behind. He kissed her shoulder then her neck, "Nicky, Mirabelle wants to play you in Gin." She stopped what she was doing and went in search of her entertainment. Emily resumed cooking while she relished in the soft kisses Andrew continued to plant on her shoulder and neck, "How much did you lose?" He laughed, "$60." "Drew!" "Don't be mad at her, I wanted to up the stakes." Emily shook her head, "I taught her." He peeked over her shoulder, "Why am I not surprised? What are we eating?" "6-way tacos." "Sounds good. Can I have you 6 ways?" he asked seductively in her ear. She leaned into his touch, "You've had me 9 different ways or have you forgotten already?" He bit her ear softly, "You little minx. You're going to tease me all day aren't you?" She shook her head slowly and pushed her hips against his, "Nope, but I am going to put you to work. Cut up those tomatoes while I slice these peppers." With his help, lunch was finished rather quickly. Anais took the initiative to help Dennis get his food off the kabobs. Mirabelle gladly went around the table serving everyone with their preferred salsa—mild or spicy. Emily gave herself, Andrew, and Nicky a wine cooler while giving Dennis, Anais, and Mirabelle homemade raspberry lemonade. They enjoyed the lunch and Mirabelle asked, "Andrew, where do you work?" He wiped his mouth with a napkin, "My job is kind of like your mom's. I run my own team but we stay in D.C. and the surrounding area."

Anais jumped in, "So you don't have to travel?" Andrew reached over to help her cut the grilled mango she had. "No, I don't travel much for work." She thanked him, ate a piece of her fruit, and start to talk, but her mom cut her off "Finish chewing before you talk." She complied and asked, "How much do you like my mom? When are you going to meet the rest of our family? Have you met the team? Do you—" Emily interrupted her, "One question at a time baby." Andrew smiled as he looked at both girls seriously, "It's okay. I don't just like your mom; I believe I am falling in love with her. I understand that you guys are a package deal and I'm fine with that. I want you to know that Nicky and Dennis are a part of my package too. If we're all giving this a real try, then we all need to be aware of the fact that we will become family." Everyone was anxious to the girls' response after Andrew's speech. They looked at each other and Anais said, "I like this package."; Mirabelle said, "Family is forever. Dennis, do you want to be around us forever?" Dennis looked uncomfortable for a moment, "I like all of you." Everyone smiled and Andrew grabbed Emily's hand and looked into her teary eyes, "What about you? Are you all in?" She kissed his hands, "Of course I am. I'm falling for you too." She pulled him close and kissed him on the lips.


	4. Chapter 4

"Drew", Emily said sleepily as she reached behind her. She didn't feel anything but her mattress. She turned over to see an empty spot next to her; she stretched languidly before slowly getting out of bed. She pulled on a pair of long, novelty socks and her robe from behind her bedroom door. She checked the time once and slowly walked down the hallway of her apartment. She walked past the guest room, where Dennis and Nicky were sleeping, to see it empty. She tried not to panic, but instinctively grabbed a heavy candle holder off the side table and continued to walk through the quiet apartment illuminated by the morning light. She quietly placed the candle holder down and smiled brightly at the sight before her. Andrew was conked out on the couch. Mirabelle and Anais were sleeping soundly on his chest and legs. Dennis was starting to wake up; he looked around confused, before looking at Emily. Emily motioned for him to be quiet, since everyone was sleeping, and to walk towards her. He made a little noise, and froze, trying not to laugh before tiptoeing over to Emily. She brought him into her room, and he took a seat in the big chair near her bed. "Good morning Dennis. Did you sleep okay?" He looked at Emily and bit his lip nervously, "I had a bad dream and Andy didn't want to wake you up." Emily reached over and hugged him, "It's okay Dennis. I have bad dreams sometimes too." "Does Andy make you feel better like he does with me?" he asked her with wide, curious eyes. Emily hugged herself, "I haven't had a bad dream when he's around, but I'm sure that he could make me feel better." He laughed to himself, "Andy gives the best hugs!" She shook her head in agreement, "I love his hugs too!"

Emily looked up to see Nicky leaning against the door jamb; she looked back at Dennis, "What do you want to watch sweetheart?" Dennis thought for a moment and responded with excitement, "Animal Planet." Emily turned on Animal Planet and stepped outside the room to talk with Nicky. "Hey, I did a quick walk through and neither of you were in the room." "I was in the bathroom. I was taking a shower, not shooting up" Nicky said defensively and tried to walk away. Emily grabbed her gently and pulled her into the girls' bedroom. "Hey, I'm on your side okay?" Nicky relaxed, "I'm sorry. I called the number you gave me for the rehab place, and they've arranged for someone to meet me at the airport and escort me all the way to rehab. Is this how it works for everybody or am I just special?" Emily let go of Nicky and put a hand on her hip, "You're the Queen of England" she joked, "It's the procedure for everyone. Most families have a hard time letting their loved ones go to rehab. The professional escort is a way to ensure that the enablement stops. Also, when you arrive…you aren't allowed to contact anyone for the first week. That is to ensure that you get through detox effectively. Do you want me to wake up Andrew?" Nicky shook her head no, "Can you take me? I wrote him a long note and put it in his hand. If Andy takes me, then one of us might stop the process. I also don't want to see him or Dennis crying—it'll break me. I know it's asking a lot because of your daughters—" "They're asleep. I trust Drew and Dennis is preoccupied. If we hurry, you might be on the plane before they even wake up." Nicky let out a breath, "Well, I'm ready if you are. I was told that I can't bring any bags with me and I have to surrender my phone when I get there." Emily quickly put on clothes, in the bathroom, and came back out to Dennis hugging Nicky's waist. Nicky was fighting tears, that threatened to fall after he said, "Go get better Nicky. Andy needs the both of us to be better, so that he can be better too." Nicky kissed him on the cheek, "I'm going to get better Dennis." He released her and smiled at Emily. Emily and Nicky walked towards the front door; while Nicky, quietly opened the door…Emily walked over to leave a note in Andrew's hand to let him know where she was. Emily waited with her until she recognized one of the drivers from the rehab facility walking towards them. She turned towards Nicky, "You ready for this?" Nicky looked panicked, "No, but I have to do it. Thank you so much for everything. I'm happy that you and Andy are together. He deserves real happiness, not forced obligations. I hope that you stick around." She hugged Emily tight, "I'm going to go now before we both start bawling our eyes out." Emily returned home to see the girls helping Dennis with a huge floor puzzle. "Hey guys." They all absentmindedly spoke to her and keep going with the puzzle. Emily walked to her bedroom in search of Andrew. She saw the bathroom door closed and steam coming from underneath the door. She opened the door and saw him standing in the shower with his head against the wall. She took off her pants but stepped into the shower fully clothed behind him. She hugged him from behind and rested her head in-between his shoulders. Andrew jumped and looked over his shoulder, "What are you doing? You're going to get soaked." Emily turned him around to face her, "I don't care. Baby, I know you miss her, but she needs to do this. Let me be your anchor." Andrew started crying and slumped down in the shower. Emily kept him pulled firmly to her as he let out loud sobs. "I've got you baby. I'm not going anywhere." Andrew pulled her closer by her soaked t-shirt and kissed her with everything he had, "Em, Emily please don't go. I won't make it if you leave me too. I need you." Emily continued to kiss the top of his head as her own tears started to fall, "You have me. I'm yours. I'm not leaving you." Emily helped Andrew sit on the built-in bench in the shower. She grabbed his loofah, used his favorite body wash, and carefully washed his body. He didn't fight her washing his body, nor did he fight it when she helped him dry off and get dressed. He reclined in the bed with his head on her chest; there was a knock on the door, "Come in", Emily said. The girls and Dennis brought in lemonade, popcorn, and a few movies. No words were spoken as the three reclined onto the bed and started the first movie. Emily kissed Andrew's head and whispered in his ear, "Do you see that? The Mendozas have the Prentiss' unconditional love."

_A/N: Next chapter with have a significant time jump. I would like to know from readers if you guys want me to include Nicky's experiences in rehab. This is different from Emily and Andrew's perspectives. _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm aware that I've bounced between Amina and Anais. (Typo on my part. Her name is Amina in this story)_

Andrew and Amina sat at the kitchen island quietly eating big bowls of cereal. She had a lot of Emily's mannerisms, which was how he knew that something was bothering her. He looked at her, "Something on your mind?" She started to worry her bottom lip, "Did mommy ever tell you about Clyde?" Andrew shook his head no. "Who is he?" She looked over her shoulder to ensure that her mother wasn't around, "He used to be mommy's friend." Andrew scooted his chair closer to her, "Why aren't they friends anymore?" She lowered her head, "He hit mommy. He was acting weird and almost falling over. He came over to have dinner with us, but mommy asked him to leave. He got mad and hit her in the face. Me and Mira tried to hurt him back, but we were too little. I didn't want mommy to get hurt again." Andrew wiped away her stray tears. "Again? Did someone hurt mommy before?" Her eyes went wide and she pushed away from the kitchen island. She started to walk in the direction of her bedroom, but Andrew gently stopped her. He turned her around and kneeled down in front of her. He looked into her big, watery brown eyes, "You can tell me." She knotted up the hem of her t-shirt and avoided eye contact. "I wasn't supposed to see" she whispered. "You weren't supposed to see what honey?" She sniffled loudly, "I wasn't supposed to see daddy hit mommy. I was supposed to be in bed, but I was thirsty. Mommy was trying to get daddy to leave because we didn't want to go with him. We wanted to go with grandpa for the weekend. Mommy put us to bed, but she was yelling with daddy. He hit her and her lip was bleeding. She pushed him out and I ran back to bed." She got scared for a moment and grabbed Andrew's face pleading, "Please don't tell mommy. We're supposed to be good girls and I should've been in bed." Andrew was fighting against his emotions, "I don't—" "Please don't tell mommy." Andrew kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear, "Your mommy loves you and your sister more than anything in this world. You will always be her good girls. I'm so sorry that you had to see bad men hurt your mom. I will NEVER hurt her or you guys…ever!" She hugged Andrew and went to finish her cereal.

Andrew walked back towards the bedroom. He stood in the doorway and watched Emily sleep. The gentle rise and fall of her chest soothed him. Her long, thick lashes always drew him in. She slept on her stomach, so he walked over to pull the comforter over her shoulders. She always got a chill in the early morning. Right on time, Emily's body shuddered and her covered her up and kissed behind her ear. She started to mumble in her sleep. He tried to walk away slowly, but he heard her voice "Drew?" He turned around to smile at her sleep riddled face and lazy extension of her hand. "Go back to sleep beautiful." She groggily responded, "Not until you lay with me." He smiled softly and kissed her pouty lips; he moved in behind her and became the big spoon. He pulled her flush against his chest and sighed when she gave into his touch. Emily was almost asleep again when she felt something shift; something in Andrew's energy was off. She opened her eyes slowly and pulled his arms tighter around her body. "What's wrong Drew? I can feel that something's wrong with you." He didn't want to push her because he was afraid that her walls would fully go back up. On one hand, he wanted to ask her about Mark and Clyde, however, he didn't want to disrupt the bond that he was building with Amina. He looked down and realized that Emily turned in his arms; she stared up at him with those molten orbs and his heart swelled. She always looked at him in adoration and he loved feeling truly wanted and desired. Emily's soft hand rested on his cheek before she leaned up to kiss him on the lips sweetly. Just as she went to pull away, Andrew pulled her in closer and kissed her again. She moaned as he deepened the kiss by pushing his tongue into her mouth.

For Emily, Andrew's kisses felt like salvation. They were the equivalent of comfort food. They made her warm and tingly like sitting in front of a fireplace. They filled her up like overindulging on chocolate. They make her feel safe like a Kevlar vest. For Andrew, Emily's kisses were heaven. They brought him comfort that he hadn't had since his parents were alive. They gave him a high like he couldn't imagine. They made him fall harder and harder for her.

Emily's hands started to drift down his body; his body felt on fire as she softly raked her nails down his abdomen. They pulled away to catch their breaths; Emily's right hand went under the waistband of his lounge pants while her left brought his mouth back to her. She slipped her hands inside his underwear and stroked him at the same pace she kissed him. His body was on fire as he willingly let her have her way with him. Once she stroked him to full attention, she used both hands to push his pants and underwear down. Luckily, Emily mostly slept naked, so her clothing wasn't a problem. She pushed him on his back and straddled his hips and looked down at him, "I think I love you Drew." He was perched at her entrance and gently sheathed himself into her core. He pulled her down while she rotated her hips slowly and kissed her sweet lips, "I love you too Emily." Their copulation was slow, steady, and filled with sensual kisses and loving touches. When they finished, Emily laid her overheated body on top of his. He was still catching his breath and weaved his hands through her hair. She peppered kisses on his chest and looked up at him through thick lashes, "You going to tell me what's bothering you?" Andrew caressed the apples of her cheeks, "Do you feel comfortable telling me more about Mark?"


	6. Chapter 6

Emily sat up uncomfortably and pulled her knees to her chest. "Clyde wasn't always like that. Mark—possibly. Clyde started drinking heavy when Doyle escaped prison. After Tsia, my really good friend, was murdered…he started using. He was in love with her, but it wasn't reciprocated. He only put his hands on me once and he was completely out of it. I'm not making excuses for what he did, but I am saying that he wasn't sober when it happened. It happened in front of the girls and I immediately got him away from all of us. Now Mark is a different story. He didn't start getting verbally abusive until after I told my entire family that I was pregnant. They all wanted me to come home, but he wanted me to stay. My dad missed out on a lot of time with me when I joined the BAU; he was willing to move to London. For whatever reason, that made Mark snap. The things that he said to me made me so insecure and self-conscious" Emily paused and flicked away a stray tear before continuing, "We started going downhill after that and I could feel the resentment building. Once the girls were born, we got better but still not how we were before. We decided to separate before the girls' 3rd birthday and just co-parent."

She took a few moments to compose herself, "One night, the girls decided that they didn't want to go out of town with Mark, but with my dad. He was livid when he came over that night. You know I never thought that I'd be the type of woman to get battered—because I'm so strong and independent", she let out a sad chuckle, "I thought I was different until the night he hit me. The argument came out of nowhere…and so did his fist." Andrew's jaw set tight and he balled up his fists; Emily saw this and put her small hand over his larger one. He immediately calmed down and look at her with apologetic eyes. "I couldn't believe that he would hit me. I couldn't believe that he would hit me in front of my children. I never wanted them to see anything like that. They tried to protect me, but I just wanted him away from them. Amina saw him hit me again and I hate that she saw that. I never wanted her to think that I would condone something like that." Emily reached over to hug Andrew and he held her close, shivering when she whispered in his ear, "Thank you Drew." He pulled away confused, "For what baby?" "For being so good with the girls. I know my children. I know that Amina seeing her father hit me has weighed on her because she didn't think that I knew. I also noticed how that weight was lifted off of her _after _the two of you had breakfast. I'm not mad that she confided in you…I'm grateful because that means that she trusts you." She hugged him again and placed a soft kiss to his neck.

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_(one year later)_

The incessant ringing of the FaceTime call was driving Emily crazy. She answered it with a bright smile upon seeing Savannah Morgan's face. The caramel colored woman smiled conspiratorially at Emily. "So, what's the verdict? Pregnant or not?" Emily smiled wide and chuckled, "Well….."

Andrew was being a good sport in the nail salon. He was having a date day with girls to instill the proper love of a father into their minds and hearts. He was pressured by the girls into getting a mani/pedi as well. His phone chimed and he took it out his pocket

_*Text Message from Derek Morgan _

_So, did you find the ring that you wanted? This is hard for me to help with and not include Babygirl. I know that you want to surprise the hell out of Emily…something she truly deserves. I'll help you with this engagement party anyway I can. _

**A/N: This is the time up that** I was talking about. Good things are coming for Emily and Andrew in upcoming chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

"What's wrong?" Andrew asked as he kissed Emily on the forehead while she packed her suitcase. She let out a loud exhale, "I'm a little flustered about this trip to be honest." "Are you more upset about me meeting your mother or something else?" Emily bit her bottom lip and muttered, "It's just that when I see her with the girls, I get kind of jealous." Andrew was confused, so Emily explained. "I didn't have the Elizabeth Prentiss that she is with them. I had the extremely busy, non-emotional diplomat and they have the somewhat hands on MiMi. It's just…" "hurtful", he finished for her. "I'm sorry that you feel that way. You seem closer with your dad." Emily scoffed, "That's taken a lot of effort on both of our parts. When he and my mom divorced, he was the one who was most forthcoming with his emotions." "Can I ask why they got divorced?" Emily shrugged, "I still don't know the true reason but one of the minor reasons was him cheating on her." Andrew walked over and gave Emily a warm hug. "Maybe you should take this trip to ask her and see if you two can start to repair your relationship." Emily smiled at him and reached up to kiss him on the lips. "You are so sweet and this is why I love you. Are you sure that Dennis will be okay staying with Brian?" Andrew kissed her again, "You think about everyone else before you and that's why I love you. He doesn't do well flying and Brian promised to take him to the cemetery to visit our parents. He wants to try and be more independent." Emily knew that Andrew had reservations about letting Dennis do anything without him or Nicky, thus she was happy for this small victory.

After a 6-hour flight and another hour getting through customs, Emily, Andrew and the girls were on their way to her mother's place. In typical Ambassador Prentiss fashion, she sent a car to pick them up. Andrew was visibly uncomfortable with this particular aspect of her life, so she grabbed his hand to soothe his nerves. Upon reaching the 2-level flat, Mirabelle and Amina took off towards the kitchen. Elizabeth Prentiss stood somewhat awkwardly in the doorway with Emily and Andrew. "It's nice to see you my little blackbird. And you must be the Andrew that my granddaughters have talked so much about?" Emily was stunned into silence after her mother called her by her nickname; she hadn't heard that name slip in over 15 years. She was quiet long after her mother had already greeted Andrew until she was pulled into an unsuspecting hug. Emily whispered in her mother's ear, "We need to have a private talk." She nodded as she let Emily go. She clapped her hands, "Let's get all of you settled in."

Emily and her mother sat on her bed in silence until Elizabeth broke the silence, "Blackbird, what did you want to talk to me about?" Emily let out a long breath and said, "There's something that I really want to tell you, but I need to close a certain chapter first. Mom, what's the real reason why you and daddy got divorced?" Elizabeth took a deep breath and decided to be completely honest. She looked Emily in the eyes, with tears swirling in her own. "Rome. Your father knew about what happened between you and that Cooley boy. He lied to me and I didn't find out the truth until after the blow up with Matthew and the church. I couldn't believe that he would hide something like that from me, let alone not do more to protect you." Elizabeth's heart broke when she saw the tears streaming down Emily's face, "Blackbird, I thought for sure that he would've told you because you're closer with him than me." Emily shook her head no and let her mother give her a tight hug. "Contrary to my past behaviors, I have always loved you and would do anything for you. I would've turned Rome upside down to protect you had I known. I am so sorry that you went through that alone. I am just so sorry sweetheart."

Emily and her mother both cried for a while, "Emily, what did you want to tell me?" Emily let out a watery laugh, "I'm uh, I'm pregnant and I wanted you to help me tell Andrew. I want it to be special for him, this is his first child." Elizabeth's smile nearly split her face, "My baby's pregnant?" Emily nodded happily. "Okay, so here's an idea", Elizabeth started.

It was much later when Emily and Elizabeth joined Andrew and the girls downstairs. Andrew noticed that Emily looked as if a huge weight had been lifted, and for that, he was eternally grateful. The two women were easily pulled into a trivia game. The night was filled with laughter; As Emily got settled in bed against Andrew, he kissed her softly, "Did you work things out with your mom?" Emily's big brown eyes looked up at him, "turns out that my dad's a liar. She never bad mouthed him throughout the entire divorce, but he kept bashing her. I wish that I'd seen her side of things instead of siding with him. But I don't want to talk about it anymore; can we talk about something else?" "Like what?" "Like how the girls are going to drive us ragged tomorrow."

Emily managed to let her mother talk her into an extravagant way to tell Andrew about her pregnancy…turn into a case for him and the girls to solve. They were down to the last clue and Emily was so excited. Mirabelle read the last clue aloud, "I'll be revealed over time. I'll grow for a while before making my presence known. If you're unable to wait that long, then take the shovel and dig me up." Amina thought for a second, "I think it's a plant because it grows and can be dug up." Andrew was looking around for a spot that Emily would bury something; he spotted a small section of recently disturbed soil. With help from the girls, Andrew dug up a dark colored mason-jar. They looked at the neon colored card with the bold writing and Andrew felt his heart stop. Emily and Elizabeth had silently walked up behind the trio. Andrew turned around to Emily and held the jar up, "Baby Prentiss-Mendoza coming soon" Emily had happy tears rolling down her cheeks. "We're having a baby Drew." He kissed her passionately and lifted her off the ground. The girls finally caught on and couldn't stop bouncing up and down. Elizabeth was happy that she was able to witness such a beautiful moment; they all completely ignored the huge crowd around them cheering.


	8. Chapter 8

**7 months later **

"What's with the face?" Andrew asked curiously. "What face?" Emily responded. Andrew let out a breath and said, "The I'm really uncomfortable but too stubborn to admit it." Emily scowled, "That's not a thing. Andrew walked over to her and urged her to move forward on the bench. He got behind her, leaned her body into his, and firmly massaged her lower back with one hand and the bottom of her stomach with the other. Emily immediately sighed and rest her head on his shoulder. Andrew kissed her temple.

Mere meters down on the same bench, Savannah Morgan leaned into her husband and cooed, "They are so cute together." Morgan smiled in agreement, happy to see his best friend truly happy. Every member of the team, as well as their significant others, always noticed that Emily and Andrew would delve into their own little world whenever they were together. Rossi startled to chuckle when he heard Emily say, "You had to be the overachiever and put two babies in my uterus." Andrew playfully rolled his eyes and countered, "Says the woman who already gave birth to twins once." Emily cut her eyes, "Keep it up and you won't get any sex for a very long time." Andrew laughed, "How long is a long time? Because last time I checked, your libido can barely hold out for 24 hours." Emily blushed and punched him in the arm. Morgan said, "So, when's the wedding?" Emily fired back, "When is baby number 2?"

Savannah choked on her smoothie, "Not cool E, like at all. I could've died here." Crystal walked back into the room and announced that everyone needed to get fitted for their outfits. Emily inwardly groaned at the fact that everyone was making her and Andrew's anniversary a huge event. Although she hated the attention, she learned last year not to argue with Crystal Rossi when she wanted to do a big event.

As the night progressed, Emily allowed herself to enjoy the party. Her dress was surprisingly comfortable. The long gown was satin and went down to her ankles. There was a sequined portion that wrapped around her from the back and highlighted her growing belly. Andrew's dark purple shirt and cream dress pants matched her dress perfectly. Emily's hair was pulled into an elegant top bun. The girls, Dennis, and Nicky were all in matching colors. Emily's suspicion peaked when her mother showed up to the party also matching the couple. Garcia put together an amazing slideshow for their anniversary. Emily gave up the fight of her hormones and let the tears roll down her cheeks. Emily had a surprise of her own, with the help of all her female friends, mostly Savannah, and coaxed all the men onto the dance floor with the children. Emily let out an excited shriek when she saw Hotch and Jack arrive with a mystery guest. Hotch lifted her off the ground into a happy hug, "I'm so happy for you. You found your prince." Emily smiled, "How did you know about the party? Crystal?" "Reid got to me first, but yes Crystal called as well. We wouldn't miss it for anything in the world." Hotch cleared his throat and motioned to the woman standing next to him, "Emily, this is my girlfriend Claudia Bauneau." Emily clapped her hands together, "As in the Bonaparte Bauneau? Your father catered my 14th birthday in Budapest." Recognition immediately hit the woman's face, "I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner. Your party was fun but the impromptu bowling in the villa was amazing…until" "the Prime Minster almost broke his hip" they said together with a laugh. "So, what are you doing now?" Emily asked. "I brought my expertise to Seattle." Emily looked at Hotch and Claudia, "I'm so happy for the two of you." Before walking them further into the party, Emily turned and said, "Don't let this one get away. He's special." Emily walked the adults into the party, after Jack had already ditched them, and pushed Hotch out onto the dance floor with everybody else. She looked up at the DJ and signaled to Savannah.

Savannah grabbed the microphone and the music was lowered, "What's up everybody. As you know, tonight we are celebrating the 2nd anniversary of Emily and Andrew. I know all the guys and children are wondering why they're on the dance floor. The answer is simple…you are all about to apart of the twins' gender reveal." Garcia, JJ, Tara, Kristi, Nicky, and Elizabeth Prentiss lowered disco ball shaped pinatas. Andrew helped Amina, while Mirabelle helped Dennis; Will helped Michael, Reid helped Henry, Hotch helped Jack, Morgan helped Hank, and Rossi, Luke, and Matt helped the Simmons' kids hit at the pinatas. Savannah was back on the microphone, "The Prentiss-Mendozas are welcoming…..a boy and a girl." Andrew started to holler and run around in circles as the purple and blue confetti went everywhere. The children were immediately rewarded with cupcakes for their participation. Emily was swooped up in Andrew's arms. She kissed him sweetly, "Look at that. Your overachieving got you a boy and a girl." Andrew's smile almost split his face and Emily already knew what he was thinking. "You are going to get way too much joy out of threatening potential boyfriends with guns." He kissed her chin before putting her down, "What do you expect? Baby, I have 3 daughters. I have expectations to live up to."

The couple enjoyed some on-the-spot baby games that Garcia came up with for almost an hour. Rossi announced that it was time for the main event, causing Andrew's palms to sweat. Andrew had a major surprise for Emily; her love of fireworks just made it easier. Everyone was cheering as the firework show started; Andrew spared no expense. He pulled something out of his pocket while Emily's eyes were glued to the sky. The final set of fireworks went off spelling out _**Emily, will you marry me?**_

Emily's gasp was audible as all eyes turned to her and Andrew. She looked down, where his arms were wrapped around her, to see a beautiful 3 carat diamond surround by emeralds and sapphires. She heard Dennis ask, "Will you marry us Emily?" The tears flowed freely and Emily shook her head, "Yes! Yes! Of course, I'll marry you." The cheering faded out as the happy couple sealed their engagement with a kiss. "I love you so much Drew." "I love you more than you will ever know Em."

After everyone stop swooning over Emily's ring and patting Andrew on the back, dessert was served. Morgan helped Hank eat his cake and said aloud, "That ring was beyond difficult to find." Savannah immediately looked to her husband, "How did you manage to hide that you were helping Andrew pick out a ring?" "Savannah, how were you able to hide that you knew the genders of the babies?"

"How did both of you manage to hide this from me?" Garcia asked dramatically with a shocked look on her face. As everyone burst into laughter, Hotch leaned over to Claudia and said, "Welcome to our family."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Meghan Banker, this chapter is for you. **

"I think that I'm officially starting to hate Target" Emily whined into the phone. Savannah was on the other end of the phone call, "Tell me about it. Between Target and Home Depot, Derek has found his heaven. Why did he drag you into the store this time?" "Nipples. He obsessed with a particular brand, that is conveniently only sold at Target, for times when the babies need to eat and I'm asleep or something. I love him, but he registered us at 4 different baby stores. On top of that, my mom has practically bought everything at Oh Baby London, yet she wants to get 'a few things' from Barney's."

Savannah laughed, "At least he's doing his research. He's excited. This is his first time having children and being there from the very beginning. As for your mom, she's probably slightly overcompensating for the past and trying to make up for it. So if he's looking for nipples, what are you doing?" Emily stopped in front of the adorable bibs and baby socks. "He was in the baby section until the girls wanted to go to the bikes and skateboards." Savannah started, "I honestly can't believe that you're leaving the BAU!" Emily timed it in her head, knowing that it wouldn't take Savannah long to ask, before laughing, "It took you exactly an hour and a half to ask me. It was killing you wasn't it?" "Like you'd never believe."

Emily moved on to the baby food, "I'm not leaving per se. I'm being loaned out to Linguistics temporarily and then I go back to the BAU. Truthfully, it works out because I'm due in 2 months and Linguistics gives me the freedom to work from home that the BAU doesn't. Drew is taking 6 weeks of paternity leave after I deliver. It'll be nice to just have some quality family time, before work takes over again." "I totally get that. So….when is the wedding?"

Emily groaned, "I have no idea. Part of me wants a destination wedding. I haven't been around my family on my mom's side since I was a kid. Most of them still live in Greece. Most have seen the girls through Skype, but that's not the same. Drew doesn't care, but I need him to care. I don't want him to feel overwhelmed." "Why would he?" "Because his family is gone and I have a huge extended family. I don't want him to be uncomfortable because it'll be our day and I want him to be happy." "You guys are so adorable. He loves you. He'll do anything to make you smile. I've been in your position when I married Derek. My fears were unnecessary because all he saw that day was me. Go big or go home. Have a destination wedding. Some one once told me…add a partner, subtract the clothes, divide the legs, and multiply the orgasms." Emily doubled over laughing, "Oh my God, I should've never said that to you. You're never going to let it go."

Emily listened to Savannah scold Hank about mud in the house and whined, "I'm gonna have to call you back. The mud monster is about to ruin my clean floors." Emily laughed and hung up the phone. She turned around and dropped her phone when she saw Clyde standing less than 10 feet from her. "Clyde?" Emily started to back up as he walked forward. "Emily, you are truly ungrateful." She shook her head, "What are you talking about?" "I've dealt with your little princess mannerisms for far too long."

Emily stopped moving when she had nowhere left to go. Clyde was right in front of her and continued talking, "I was the one that saw you first and convinced Sean to bring you in. I didn't think that you would actually whore yourself out just to get info on Doyle, yet you did. I forgave you for that and let it go. Then, I let you go work for the BAU. I finally convince you to come back to London…and you hop into Mark's bed. Once again, I let your skanky ways go and was still willing to forgive you yet again. Now, you've become so used that you're practically a lost cause. You've had so many men going through the freeway between your legs that you need to put up an exit sign."

Emily was breaking on the inside, but she refused to let Clyde see her cry. As if sensing her discomfort. Both babies started to kick furiously. Mirabelle was looking for her mom when she saw Clyde standing in front of her. He kept walking towards her mom, which scared the little girl. She took off running until she saw her sister and Andrew in the kitchen aisles. She went up to him, "Daddy Drew!" Andrew turned around with a smile that faltered when he saw her face, "What's wrong?"

Mirabelle became hysterical and Andrew knelt down to calm her, "Mira, relax. Baby I can't understand you. What's wrong?" Tears fell from her eyes, "Mommy—Clyde is scaring mommy. I went to find her in the baby section and…and he's scaring her." Andrew grabbed both girls and took off in a sprint.

Clyde's behavior was starting to worry Emily. He looked at her with disgust, "You let him knock you up. On top of that, you plan to marry this pathetic man. I've sent you flowers and cards, but you never respond. I booked us a table at an amazing restaurant two weeks ago and you never showed." "I don't know what you're talking about Clyde. I didn't get any of the things that you're talking about."

He became red-faced, "You're lying. You chose your precious boyfriend over me! What kind of boyfriend leaves his pregnant girlfriend by herself in a store? Certainly not a good one."

"She's not alone." The voice from behind them relieved Emily and scared Clyde momentarily. Andrew put the girls down, "Go over to your mother." They rushed over to Emily and hid behind her. Clyde turned to face Andrew, "You think I'm afraid of you? I'll end you." Andrew gave a small smile and motioned for Emily and the girls to leave. They started to walk past Clyde, but he shifted into their path. Andrew's jaw tightened, "Either you move and let my family by or I move you myself." They stared each other down until Clyde moved over to let them pass. Emily looked Andrew in the face and his eyes told her to keep moving. Once they left the aisle, Andrew turned to Clyde, "I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but you need to back off. Emily is not property nor is she some consolation prize. She never wanted you, so let it go." Clyde tried and failed to look intimidating, "She's a skank. It's only a matter of time before she moves on… with me. Those bastard children won't make a difference." That was the last straw for Andrew; he slugged Clyde before putting him in a headlock. He growled menacingly, "Those bastard children are mine. All four of them. Now usually, I'm a calm guy; but for you, I can make an exception and snap your neck without breaking a sweat. This is your warning. If you come near Emily, my children, her mother, or her friends, I will send you back across the pond in pieces." He finally let Clyde go and watched his struggle to breathe normally. Clyde finally got the hint and almost sprinted out the store. Andrew went looking for his family but didn't have to go far. Emily was standing near a children's bookshelf looking at him.

He smiled brightly at her, "You okay baby?" "I'm okay?" "Where are the girls?" Emily pointed at the large wall of TVs, "Probably plotting to use the puppy dog eyes on us to get a bigger TV." Andrew kissed her on the lips. "Drew, I really don't know how he found us or what he was talking about." Andrew kissed her temple, "I thought it was Mark. The flowers, gifts being delivered at all hours—this is on me. I should've told you, but I didn't want you to worry." Emily grabbed his face, "It's okay. You were protecting me and I love you even more for it." Andrew's smile matched Emily's, "Mira called me daddy Drew. You think it was just because she was scared?" Emily shook her head, "I think it was because she loves you. We all love you." Emily leaned in for a kiss; the kiss was cut short when the girls ran over to them, "Mommy, Daddy can we get a dog. I promise we'll do all the work." Emily nodded towards Andrew. The girls turned to him, "Daddy please! We won't ask for anything else until Christmas." Emily snorted, knowing that it was a complete lie, and waited for Andrew to respond, "I think that we might be able to get a puppy." "Thank you Daddy. We love you!" Andrew gathered up his family and said to Emily, "God I love Target. You know what Em? I don't think we registered at Babies R Us yet." Emily rolled her eyes, "God, help us."


End file.
